A micro fleece jacket, micro fleece being the thinnest kind of fleece, is a great piece of gear to have in a wide variety of conditions. Mainly micro fleece jackets are used to keep you warm, but fleece has a few other properties, like the ability to naturally shed a bit of water, that makes it a useful fabric to use for gear that gets used in the outdoors a lot. Micro fleece being so thin, is particularly useful as a material for jackets that will be used for outdoor activities like hiking, backpacking or climbing, among many others.
Micro Fleece Jacket
What to look for from a micro fleece jacket.- Hardened – Because micro fleece is the thinnest kind of fleece, it’s a good idea to get micro fleece jackets that have a hardened outer surface. This hardening helps make the jacket better able to withstand wind chill, which thin fleece jackets are otherwise not very good at doing.
- Hood – Another useful thing to get on a fleece jacket, regardless of the thickness, is a hood. Fleece jackets are generally meant to keep you warm, and your head loses quite a bit of heat. So if you want to stay warm, it’s a good idea to stick something on your head, and a hood is a convenient option for doing just that.
Best Micro Fleece Jacket
Some of the very best micro fleece jacket options, for men and women.Men's Micro Fleece Jacket
- Mountain Hardwear Microchill Fleece Jacket - The Microchill is a great, simple micro fleece jacket from Mountain Hardwear. No hood and no hardened outer surface, but a close fit which makes it perfect for layering, and a couple of good hand warmer pockets for when you need to get your extremities warm. A drawcord hem also helps keep the heat in.
- Arc'teryx Covert Cardigan Fleece Jacket - Another relatively simple micro fleece jacket, this one from Arc'teryx. This has a looser fit, and while it would work on the trail, it's also the kind of fleece jacket that works well around town too. It comes with a couple zippered hand pockets for keeping your fingers warm, and a zippered pocket on the arm for storing a few essentials.
Women's Micro Fleece Jacket
- Mountain Hardwear Microchill Fleece Jacket - A great micro fleece jacket for staying active in. It doesn't have a hood, and the outer surface isn't hard enough to keep out much wind, but it does have a close fit that will keep body warmth in, and will layer very well. It also has a couple of zippered hand warmer pockets, plus a drawcord hem to help hold warm air in.
- Arc'teryx Covert Cardigan Fleece Jacket - The Covert Cardigan is the kind of fleece that works as well on the trail as it does around town. It has a bit more of a relaxed fit, so it might not work quite as well as a layer, but it has a couple of hand warmer pockets, plus a zippered pocket on the left arm for carrying around a few essentials. So a great choice if you wan a micro fleece jacket that's a bit more casual.